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Yahoo
24-05-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Eyes on the road! Texas is the second-worst state for truck drivers: Here's why
A whopping 3.5 million Americans are employed as truck drivers, braving long hours and endless highways to make a living. Texas is known for being a major trucking industry epicenter and has the most truck drivers with more than 172,000, according to Fremont Contract Carriers, Inc. The Houston-Woodlands-Sugar Land metro area is home to the second-most resident truckers, with about 39,000, behind the New York-Jersey City-White Plains metro. The Dallas-Plano-Irving metro has the fourth-most with over 34,000. Despite the booming industry, a recent study found Texas to be the second-worst state for truck drivers. Philadelphia-based personal injury law firm KaplunMarx compiled data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) Traffic Safety Facts and Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) Highway Statistics to determine the best state for truck drivers. The study's key measures included the following: Number of trucks involved in fatal crashes and fatalities Traffic congestion per interstate Average annual salary of truck drivers Share of major highways in good and fair condition Nearly 5,400 large trucks were involved in fatal crashes in 2023, according to the National Safety Council. Although this was an 8.4% decrease from 2022, it marks a 43% increase in the last 10 years. "Truck drivers are the unsung heroes of our economy," Ted Kaplun, founding partner of KaplunMarx, said. "Our research confirms what they already know. Road safety can vary wildly depending on which state they are driving through. These men and women keep our shelves stocked, our fuel flowing, and our deliveries on time. Yet they face dangerous conditions, long hours, and low pay. Improving safety in the worst-performing states is not just about preventing accidents. It is about honoring the people who keep America running." What exactly makes Texas one of the worst states for truck drivers? Here's what the troubling data shows. Memorial Day weekend travel: These Texas gas stations have the cheapest gas prices While Texas truck drivers enjoy a moderate salary, money doesn't erase the job's considerable safety concerns. Statistics informed KaplunMarx's overall score for the Lone Star State: 22.46 out of 100. Texas had the sixth-highest driver fatality rate among states, with 4.69 per 100,000 registrations. It also reported the eighth-highest rate of trucks involved in fatal crashes, with 4.53 per 100,000. Anyone who's driven in Texas probably won't be shocked to discover it also has the 15th-worst traffic congestion. It had enough registrations throughout the state to place 13,401 vehicles within every two interstate miles. AAA expects record 3.7M Texans to travel Memorial Day weekend. See best times to travel Finally, Texas had below-average highways, with just 83.70% in good or fair condition. Only Louisiana had worse conditions for truck drivers than Texas. While Louisiana had lower fatality rates and traffic congestion, it also paid truck drivers less and had a smaller share of highways in good or fair condition. Within the 10 worst states, New Mexico had the highest fatality rates. It more than doubled Texas' rate of trucks involved in crashes, at 9.65 per 100,000 registrations. It also reported 7.88 fatalities per 100,000. Believe it or not, Texas didn't have the worst traffic congestion. That honor went to Delaware, with a staggering 10,963.80 registered vehicles per interstate mile. Here's a look at the 10 worst states for truck drivers: Truck drivers' average annual salary: $51,310 Trucks involved in fatal crashes (per 100,000 truck registrations): 4.10 Fatalities (per 100,00 truck registrations): 4.03 Traffic congestion (vehicle per interstate): 4,789.01 Major highways in good and fair condition (%): 79.00% Score (out of 100): 22.02 Truck drivers' average annual salary: $56,470 Trucks involved in fatal crashes: 4.53 Fatalities: 4.69 Traffic congestion: 6,700.50 Major highways in good and fair condition: 83.70% Score: 22.46 Truck drivers' average annual salary: $51,530 Trucks involved in fatal crashes: 9.65 Fatalities: 7.88 Traffic congestion: 1,909.26 Major highways in good and fair condition: 80.60% Score: 23.26 Truck drivers' average annual salary: $55,240 Trucks involved in fatal crashes: 7.28 Fatalities: 7.64 Traffic congestion: 2,680.61 Major highways in good and fair condition: 85.50% Score: 29.36 Truck drivers' average annual salary: $56,300 Trucks involved in fatal crashes: 5.98 Fatalities: 5.72 Traffic congestion: 3,472.38 Major highways in good and fair condition: 85.80% Score: 30.2 Truck drivers' average annual salary: $55,420 Trucks involved in fatal crashes: 3.85 Fatalities: 4.01 Traffic congestion: 5,533.82 Major highways in good and fair condition: 83.80% Score: 31.02 Truck drivers' average annual salary: $57,660 Trucks involved in fatal crashes: 3.81 Fatalities: 3.81 Traffic congestion: 10,963.80 Major highways in good and fair condition: 88.70% Score: 31.42 Truck drivers' average annual salary: $53,990 Trucks involved in fatal crashes: 3.36 Fatalities: 3.52 Traffic congestion: 6,244.37 Major highways in good and fair condition: 90.10% Score: 34.28 Truck drivers' average annual salary: $55,110 Trucks involved in fatal crashes: 3.63 Fatalities: 3.72 Traffic congestion: 6,211.46 Major highways in good and fair condition: 90.10% Score: 34.72 Truck drivers' average annual salary: $51,920 Trucks involved in fatal crashes: 4.12 Fatalities: 4.31 Traffic congestion: 2,710.87 Major highways in good and fair condition: 92.10% Score: 36.34 This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Texas is second-worst state for truck drivers, study shows. Here's why
Yahoo
14-05-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Bike riders, beware: Arizona is one of the most dangerous states for cyclists. Here's why
Arizona is the second most dangerous states for cyclists, topped only by Utah, a new study shows. The study, which was conducted by personal injury law firm KaplunMarx, used national data on air quality, crashes, laws and infrastructure to determine where cyclists were safest. The findings paint a clear picture of the serious dangers cyclists face each time they hit the road. KaplunMarx noted that the number of cycling fatalities hit a record high in 2022. More than 1,100 people were killed while cycling in the U.S. in 2022, which is a 13% increase from 2021. This comes in addition to a widening safety gap for cyclists in the country. The safest states continue to get safer for cyclists and the unsafe states make little progress toward improvements, the study showed. "As more and more people turn to cycling for daily commutes, our latest study shows that rider safety still varies wildly across the country," said Ted Kaplun, principal attorney and founding partner of KaplunMarx. "While some states are building safer, more bike-friendly roads, others are falling dangerously short." Here's what to know about cycling in Arizona and what makes it so dangerous. Arizona received a cycling friendliness score of 22.4, placing it just a fraction of a point below Utah, the most unsafe state. The Grand Canyon State fell especially short in several categories, including the amount of cycling routes and cyclist fatalities in the state. In 2022, there were 6.8 cyclist deaths per 1 million residents in Arizona. The only state to surpass that score was Florida, which had 10 deaths per 1 million residents. Arizona has only 0.6 miles of cycling routes per 1,000 square miles, which is well below other states. The top states boasted 16 to 62 miles of routes per 1,000 square miles. Even Utah, the worst state for cyclists, comes in with more than 2 miles per 1,000 square miles. The study noted that most states with low bicyclist friendliness scores lacked infrastructure as this "investment directly correlates with cyclist safety as states with more extensive route networks and higher federal funding consistently show lower fatality rates." Arizona's scores in the air quality, laws protecting cyclists and federal funding per capita were about average. A link over the lake: Tempe gets $25M for bridge for pedestrians, bicyclists These are the top 10 safest states for cyclists and their overall cycling friendliness score, according to the study. Minnesota: 84 Massachusetts: 73.6 Rhode Island: 72.7 Washington: 72.2 Iowa: 67.2 Wisconsin: 66.7 Wyoming: 66.7 Florida: 65 New Hampshire: 62.7 Ohio: 62.2 These are the top 10 most dangerous states for cyclists and their overall cycling friendliness score, according to the study. Utah: 22.2 Arizona: 22.4 Nevada: 28.8 Texas: 31 Georgia: 31.7 Idaho: 34.2 South Dakota: 35.2 North Carolina: 37.3 Kentucky: 37.4 Alabama: 39.1 KaplunMarx used National Highway Safety Administration data and Complete Tri. They considered these factors in the ranking: Air quality Cycling fatalities Route density Infrastructure initiatives Federal funding Bicycle laws This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Bike riders, beware: Arizona is among worst states for cyclists
